Four species of insects, Carpophillus obsoletus Er., Carpophilus sp., Bitoma lycnformis Wall and Scatopse sp., were found in association with infected spathes of date palm with Mauginella scaettae Cav. The later fungus was the dominant species isolated in pure cultures both from diseased spathes and from contaminated insects. Bitoma lycriformis is the first record for Iraq.

The appearance of Mixed Mode Oscillations (MMOs) and chaotic spiking in a Light Emitting Diode (LED) with optoelectronic feedback theoretically and experimentally have been reported. The transition between periodic and chaotic mixed-mode states has been investigated by varying feedback strength. In incoherent semiconductor chaotically spiking attractors with optoelectronic feedback have been observed to be the result of canard phenomena in three-dimensional phase space (incomplete homoclinic scenarios).

Among the metaheuristic algorithms, population-based algorithms are an explorative search algorithm superior to the local search algorithm in terms of exploring the search space to find globally optimal solutions. However, the primary downside of such algorithms is their low exploitative capability, which prevents the expansion of the search space neighborhood for more optimal solutions. The firefly algorithm (FA) is a population-based algorithm that has been widely used in clustering problems. However, FA is limited in terms of its premature convergence when no neighborhood search strategies are employed to improve the quality of clustering solutions in the neighborhood region and exploring the global regions in the search space. On the

There is a great deal of systems dealing with image processing that are being used and developed on a daily basis. Those systems need the deployment of some basic operations such as detecting the Regions of Interest and matching those regions, in addition to the description of their properties. Those operations play a significant role in decision making which is necessary for the next operations depending on the assigned task. In order to accomplish those tasks, various algorithms have been introduced throughout years. One of the most popular algorithms is the Scale Invariant Feature Transform (SIFT). The efficiency of this algorithm is its performance in the process of detection and property description, and that is due to the fact that

Statement of the Problem. The use of orthodontic fixed appliances may adversely affect oral health leading to demineralizing lesions and the development of gingival problems. Aims of the Study. The study aimed to coat orthodontic archwires with chlorhexidine hexametaphosphate nanoparticles (CHX-HMP NPs) and to evaluate the elusion of CHX from CHX-HMP NPs. Materials and Methods. A solution of CHX-HMP nanoparticles with an overall concentration of 5 mM for both CHX and HMP was prepared, characterized (using atomic force microscope and Fourier transformation infrared spectroscopy), and used to coat orthodontic stainless steel (SSW) and NiTi archwires (NiTiW). The coated segments were characterized (using scanning electron microscopy

Test results of six half-scale reinforced concrete flat plates connections with an opening in the vicinity of the column are reported. The test specimens represent a portion of a slab bounded by the lines of contraflexure around the column. The tests were designed to study the effect of openings on the punching shear behavior of the slab-column connections. The test parameters were the location and the size of the openings. One specimen had no opening and the remaining five had various arrangements of openings around the column. All specimens were cast with normal density concrete of approximately 30 MPa compressive strength. The openings in the specimens were square, with the sides parallel to the sides of the column. Three sizes of ope

Herein, an efficient inorganic/organic hybrid photocatalyst composed of zeolitic imidazolate framework (ZIF-67) decorated with Cd0.5Zn0.5S solid solution semiconductor was constructed. The properties of prepared ZIF- [email protected] nanocomposite and its components (ZIF-67 and Cd0.5Zn0.5S) were investigated using XRD, FESEM, EDX, TEM, DRS and BET methods. The photocatalytic activity of fabricated [email protected] nanocomposite were measured toward removal of methyl violet (MV) dye as a simulated organic contaminant. Under visible-light and specific conditions (photocatalyst dose 1 g/l, MV dye 10 mg/l, unmodified solution pH 6.7 and reaction time 60 min.), the acquired [email protected] photocatalyst showed advanced photocatalytic activity